Dreaming of Zhou Gong

by Traci Harding

  The feeling in his gut went from sinking to plummeting, and his sights wavered as he gave the query due consideration. He was actually surprised by how panicked the premise made him feel inside, but he looked at Yi Wu to answer her honestly. ‘If Jiang Hudan were ever to offer herself to me, I believe that I would remember this meeting, Great Mother, and the challenge you pose to me. Then I would see the seduction for the test that it is.’

  Yi Wu smiled warmly. ‘You see through my mind games so easily, brother Dan, and it pleases Tian that you are so clever. I too am clever. If I were to initiate you as Wu, then you would be bound to protect your brothers, rather than seduce one of them for information.’

  Dan was feeling decidedly uncomfortable as his cheeks began burning with more heat than he’d ever known. ‘I greatly respect and admire brother Hudan, Great Mother —’

  ‘Admire or desire?’ she probed, and Dan felt affronted.

  ‘I would never wish to dishonour a legend in such a manner,’ he defended. ‘I have never entertained such thoughts.’

  ‘That is well,’ Yi Wu proffered, ‘because if you were to allow personal feelings to overwhelm you, you would disempower your best weapon against Su Daji.’

  Dan was breathless in the wake of this statement, realising that the inquisition was far more than just a lecture in ethics; it was a warning about a potential misstep that might cost them victory.

  ‘In order to channel chi energy to its greatest advantage one needs to feel clear, centred and powerful,’ the Great Mother said. ‘The whole reason you have not taken another wife or lover is because you know what a distraction they can be.’

  Dan was shocked by how right she was and was able to understand the point with blinding clarity.

  ‘You could easily become the distraction, brother Dan.’ Yi Wu eyed him over with an admiring gaze. ‘Or you could be the arrow that Tian launches straight into the heart of the enemy.’

  ‘Why me, Great Mother?’ Dan was bewildered. ‘Why do you not say these things to my brother?’

  ‘I had other matters to discuss with Ji Fa, brother Dan. But you are who you are and must accept that your destiny may also be great,’ she advised him light-heartedly, dispersing the heavy mood. ‘As for your aspiration to be a pupil of this house …’

  Dan regained his focus very quickly and looked at the Great Mother to hear her decision.

  ‘I am prepared to allow Fen Gong to instruct you on a trial basis,’ she granted. ‘Come and see me again when your quest in the East is complete.’

  ‘Thank you, Great Mother,’ Dan bowed his head low to hide his elation. He felt like such a child. ‘I shall make you proud, Shifu Yi.’

  ‘I know,’ she said, with such sureness that Dan was forced to look at her. ‘The brightest star in Tian’s sky.’

  ‘Brother Hudan told you of our conversation about Zhou Gong,’ Dan assumed.

  The Great Mother was surprised. ‘I was not aware Jiang Hudan knew about Zhou Gong?’

  The response sent shivers down Dan’s spine when he realised that what had seemed a playful compliment the previous night, was really some deep, dark destiny that Tian was only telling to those in psychic circles.

  ‘Why do you fear greatness, brother Dan?’ Yi Wu asked.

  Dan cocked an eye; he was about to be cynical. ‘Could it be because great men end up dead men, or married men, and either way a man cannot study?’

  Yi Wu had a chuckle, finding his view very amusing. ‘So then, brother Dan, what is the secret to my success?’

  ‘You were born a woman.’ The lord never thought he’d say that with envy.

  ‘Bah!’ Yi Wu discarded his knee-jerk response, and challenged him to try again. ‘That gives me a far greater disadvantage than you, my lord.’

  ‘You are Wu.’ Dan’s reply was tinged with realisation.

  ‘As are you, brother Dan,’ she concluded, ‘the first beyond these walls to be so honoured. Does such an honour not hint at a certain potential for greatness in the future?’

  Dan was suddenly a little embarrassed by his premature doubts. ‘Yes, Great Mother, one would hope it does.’

  ‘One would.’ She raised her tea in a toast. ‘To the dreams of Zhou Gong.’

  Dan had to smile at her sentiment, thinking the prophecy somewhat ironic, although he hesitated to return the gesture, saying: ‘To the dreams of a man who cannot get to sleep.’

  ‘I have never known a Wu to have trouble sleeping …’ The Great Mother dismissed the last of Dan’s worries with a reassuring smile. ‘And neither will you.’

  Exultant was the emotion Dan was coming to associate with the Wu. Every encounter with them induced an inner lightness and harmony that nothing in the mundane world seemed able to replicate. He exited into the cloister from the Great Mother’s chambers, feeling as if he were floating. The cares that had weighed him down before today had simply melted away.

  His father had been hesitant to oppose the Shang out of respect for heaven’s mandate and fear of the repercussions of Su Daji’s sorcery upon the Zhou people. But today, Ji Fa and he had all but secured heaven’s mandate for the Zhou, and had three Wu to aid them in combat with Su Daji. No matter the outcome of this war, Dan would never again be answerable to the emperor or his witch. The laws of imperial rule no longer applied to him, for the Wu were only answerable to heaven.

  In those very comforting thoughts, Dan felt that his feet might just lift off the ground and he would soar into the heavens — just as he had seen the Wu do, in fact. Dan couldn’t help but wonder what psychic talents might be lying dormant within him, waiting to be activated by the right spiritual training.

  ‘Dan, my brother!’ Ji Fa’s call snapped Dan from his whimsy, and he looked to find his older brother crossing the cloister to meet him.

  ‘At last I can treat you as a true brother again, instead of a subservient.’ Fa embraced Dan, who was taken aback that his Xibo had even considered this — Dan certainly hadn’t.

  ‘That is not the reason I desired to be Wu,’ Dan ventured, ‘and I’m only being taken on as a student on a trial basis.’

  Fa was not surprised by Dan’s modesty, and held him at arm’s length to state, ‘If there was a perfect student ever born into this world, it was you, Dan.’

  Dan smiled to accept the flattery.

  ‘I see your meeting with Yi Wu has done wonders for your self-esteem, little brother. That is well.’ Fa admired him fondly. ‘You should take pride in your achievements. I have just visited the sunset shrine to leave offerings to our ancestors who, I feel, support our quest and are gratified at the role you played in bringing our alliance with the Wu into being.’

  ‘Since when do you pay homage and chat with our ancestors?’

  No one openly honoured the ancestors any more, as homage was due to the emperor, and he alone, with Daji, was allowed to pay homage to Shangdi — the Shang name for the ruler of heaven.

  ‘I have always done so inwardly,’ Fa confessed, ‘but now I shall do so outwardly and free our people to do the same.’ He waved off that matter, still beaming with pride. ‘And you are to be Wu … what an honour upon the House of Ji.’

  ‘Our great-grandfather would be especially proud.’ Dan reflected on the old Xibo’s stories and reverence of the Wu. Ji Danfu had desired to break with Shang law and consult with the Wu of Li Shan about deposing the emperor and his witch, but fearing the reprisals of the emperor, or worse Tian, on his newly established colony in the valley at the foot of Li Shan, Ji Danfu had refrained from seeking out heaven’s warriors. Still, their great-grandfather had many a tale to tell about the Wu mysteriously coming to the aid of the people in the valley during his rule.

  Fa chuckled and nodded in agreement. ‘The Great Mother confirmed our great-grandfather’s claim that our family are descended from the Yellow Emperor, and I plan to raise shrines to his honour and to the honour of our many great forefathers!’

  Dan could not wipe the silly smile from his face, nor could his brother.
‘With such allies, how can we possibly lose?’

  ‘We cannot.’ Fa clapped Dan on the shoulder and then released him. ‘Wish me luck.’ Fa entered the chambers of the Great Mother, where he would deliver their proposals for the new Zhou state for Tian’s final approval.

  If Yi Wu approved of the tribute they intended to pay Tian for supporting their quest, then all that was left to do was to inform the rest of their brothers, and allied states, of their new affiliation with the House of Yi Wu Li Shan. In light of the bad reputation Su Daji had cast upon the Wu, Dan did not expect this would be the most popular political alliance the House of Ji had ever made, but it was by far the boldest. Zi Shou would not anticipate the move and the Zhou would need to attack before the emperor learned of the Wu’s involvement.

  However, Ji Fa was still waiting for a divine sign to declare war on the Shang. ‘Trust in Tian,’ his Xibo kept telling him. Till now, Fa’s refrain had proven wise — they had waited this long for the Wu to ally with them, which was essential to their victory.

  If Tian’s timing was indeed divine, the omen would be delivered soon, before the Zhou lost the element of surprise and with it, their advantage.

  PART 2

  THE ZHOU

  5

  HAOJING

  At the jetty Ji Fa’s personal guard witnessed their leaders disembark from the Li Shan ferry with a quiet young man, a white hooded figure and to their great alarm, a large white tigress, who kept pace with their Xibo and growled at anyone who got too close to her charge.

  ‘This is Jiang Huxin,’ Ji Fa said, patting the head of the tigress as he introduced her to his guard, and every man took a step backward upon hearing the legendary name. ‘She is the representative of Baihu, heavenly guardian of the West.’ The commander of the Xibo’s guard was overwhelmed by the news, and when he kneeled before his lord and the tigress, his men followed suit. ‘She has been sent by the Great Mother of Li Shan to protect me, and is the living proof that Tian supports my right to claim heaven’s mandate!’

  The men gave a mighty cheer, then the Xibo silenced them with a simple hand motion. ‘These Wu,’ Fa motioned back to Fen and Hudan, ‘are my honoured guests and are here to aid our cause. Your task is to ensure that no one discovers who they are or what their purpose is. If anyone asks, the lad is the son of a fallen ally who is now my ward, the hooded lady is a concubine given as a gift to my brother —’ Hudan gave a grunt of disapproval, resenting this cover, but bit her tongue for the sake of the mission ‘— and the white tiger is my new pet and constant companion. Understood?’

  His soldiers unanimously confirmed their Xibo’s instruction, but Fa raised a finger to give them fair warning.

  ‘Jiang Huxin will walk among you now and as long as you are true to your Xibo and Zhou, and are confident you can keep to the vow you have just made, then you have nothing to fear. However, if there is treachery in your heart, Jiang Huxin will sense it.’ He watched as the tigress moved among his men, her sniffing nose causing even the most hardened of his warriors to wince in fear of her harsh judgement.

  When at last she returned to Ji Fa’s side, the tigress rubbed against him, satisfied that all was well.

  ‘Very good,’ the Xibo commented, pleased that he did not have to see any of his personal guard slaughtered, and gave them leave to rise. ‘Let us proceed to Haojing.’

  To prevent Jiang Huxin driving too much fear into the hearts of the locals, Fa had her ride in an open cart — as long as the tigress lay at leisure therein, he hoped to avoid any undue panic. It might have been easier for Huxin to travel in human form, but they hoped to keep her human persona a secret for the present. In her tiger form she would generate rumours and talk among the people of Ji Fa’s divine favour, for only someone who carried Tian’s favour could befriend a wild beast!

  It had been some time since Jiang Hudan had left Li Shan. The Wu had been outlawed for over a decade and had kept to themselves — only coming to the aid of those who were daring or desperate enough to light the torches of summons. The height of Li Shan and the thermal lake at its base meant that despite the drought and shallower waters of the lake, there was always moisture in the air and the mount remained green. It was not unusual to see the valley parched just before the wet season — which was still months away — but every year in the last ten, the wet season had been shorter and shorter. Last year, barely a dusting of rain graced their fields and the Wu could do nothing but watch the green valley wither. Until the people of the earth entreated heaven’s aid, heaven could not act. Powerful as heaven’s forces were, Tian’s might needed righteous human channels through which to manifest, and any action the Wu undertook had to be in the best interests of the land and people as a whole. When Ji Dan lit their torches of summons and requested aid to overthrow the Shang, he gave the Wu permission to act. Had Zi Shou lit their torches and requested their aid to put down the Zhou, the Wu would have refused, for his intention was not pure like Ji Fa’s.

  The further their party descended into the valley, the more obvious became the dispiriting effect of the drought. The land, like the people, appeared to have been bled dry of life and hope; anything still living on the landscape was silently screaming for sustenance and moisture.

  ‘The quicker we find a battlefield, the sooner I can put an end to this suffering,’ Hudan commented from beneath her hood to Ji Dan, who was riding alongside her, for she had a notion — she’d foreseen how the bloodshed might be avoided.

  ‘You think deposing the emperor will break the drought?’ Dan queried.

  ‘No,’ Hudan replied coolly, ‘I believe quite the reverse.’

  Dan found her response most curious. ‘You can summon rain?’

  ‘Any Wu worth her salt can summon rain,’ Hudan replied confidently, although in truth she had never attempted the feat herself. She had seen it done by Shifu Yi, and Hudan realised a deep spiritual commitment was required to accomplish the feat. ‘I shall seek yin by means of yin.’

  ‘Surely you don’t mean to offer yourself on a pyre in the hope that Tian will send rain and prevent your incineration?’ He sounded fearful and appalled, for seeking yin by means of yin required a female shaman to expose herself to open flames, to scorch the water element within herself in order to bring rain. ‘I thought we were progressing beyond pointless human sacrifice —’

  ‘The practice is not pointless!’ she interjected, and put aside her intolerance to explain. ‘It is strategic. I will not perish. I will bring rain. Can you think of a better way to intimidate Daji, before battle, than to achieve what she herself could not.’

  ‘Actually, no,’ Dan admitted, warily. ‘But here are many other feats you could preform —’

  ‘In the eyes of the people, the breaking of a drought is undeniable proof of divine favour, and in this particular battle there could be no better harbinger of heaven’s will.’ Hudan closed her eyes, remembering what she had foreseen of the battle ahead.

  ‘But surely, brother Hudan —’ She realised he had no faith in her ability for she could hear the concern in his tone.

  ‘You forget, brother Dan, that I have foreseen this battle.’ Hudan spoke up over his argument.. ‘There is rain. So you had better hope that that miracle is my doing and not Daji’s.’

  ‘Maybe it will be a natural phenomenon?’ Dan suggested, and Hudan rolled her eyes beneath her head cover.

  ‘That would be good news for the masses, but not so good for us while Zi Shou is still emperor.’ Hudan lowered her voice, since the royal party was now attracting attention from local people as they moved through one of the small villages on route to Haojing.

  ‘Point taken,’ Dan admitted, sounding none too happy about it. ‘It is just that I vowed to Shifu Yi to protect my brothers, and allowing you to cast yourself onto a pyre doesn’t really seem to fulfil that promise.’

  Hudan could have been annoyed by his assumption that he knew better than she did, that she needed his consent to do anything, or that he could possibly protect
her from something that she could not defend against herself, but instead she laughed.

  ‘What is so amusing?’ Dan asked, unsure whether to laugh, or be offended.

  His hooded companion chose to be distracted by the villagers who were cheering as they passed by — the locals were wishing the Xibo and his family a Happy New Year and thanking him for the water they had received from the House of Ji.

  ‘Thank the Great Mother of Li Shan,’ was the Xibo’s reply.

  ‘Praise Yi Wu!’ the cry went up and was echoed loudly by everyone.

  Dan smiled, and he felt Hudan was also smiling beneath her hood. ‘It must be inspiring to hear our Shifu’s name being venerated after so many years of silence.’

  ‘The common people have always venerated her,’ Hudan replied, with a smile in her voice, ‘but now they are free to do so openly, and that is pleasing to —’

  ‘Brothers! Brothers!’ A voice was heard amid the din, and when Hudan and Fen turned about on their horses to see where the call had come from, a second cry was heard. ‘Fen!’

  Dan’s sights were drawn to the second storey of a house, where he saw someone being torn away from an open, barred window.

  ‘He Nuan!’ Fen dismounted his moving horse and began to run toward the dwelling.

  ‘Fen!’ The desperate call turned into a scream of agony that was suddenly silenced.

  Dan rode after his ward and, noting that Jiang Huxin had raised herself, he gestured for the tigress to stay put and not alarm the crowd. ‘Fen!’ The lord dismounted, managing to head the lad off at the door to the establishment. ‘Let me assist you. You have no idea how rough the common folk can be, especially when disrupted from their leisure.’

  ‘It is He Nuan. She is here!’ Fen was anxious to find her as Jiang Hudan rode up and dismounted.

  ‘At a house of jun ji,’ she commented. ‘What a surprise.’

  Jun ji were military prostitutes, and the most common of all in the profession. These woman had no talent with song, instrument or dance, or were too old to fetch a high price. Thus jun ji were considered good for nothing more than satisfying the sexual thirsts of common men who could not afford to buy a woman of quality.